Tangled
by Skabooom
Summary: Sean Cassidy is a lonely boy who's "father" has kept him inside for his entire life. However, when a thief breaks into their home looking for shelter, he offers Sean a chance at a life he never had. Sean/Alex havok/banshee slash based on Disney's Tangled
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N I was checking out a meme on livejournal, and someone had asked for a story that was Sean/Alex, but based on the movie Tangled. They wanted Erik to be the father, Sean to be rapunzel, and Alex to be Flynn Rider, so here we go! :) Let me know what you think!_**

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><p>"Sean!" Erik shouted for his nephew, though as far as Sean knew, he was Erik's son, to let him in.<p>

"Hold on!" Sean set the book that he was reading down and went to the window, tossing a rope ladder from the window. "There!" He sighed. He was 19 years old now, and he was starting to get sick of this sort of experience. He had been trapped in this fucking tower for his whole life, and he was starting to become concerned. Erik had kept him sheltered from everything for his entire life, and when he was young, even when he was 17, he had appreciated that, but as he turned 18 and then 19, he began to wonder why he was still trapped up here.

"What's with the attitude?" Erik asked as he climbed in the window, frowning at his charge.

"I'm tired of being stuck up here." Sean sighed. "I just want to go check out the lanterns, my birthday's coming up, I'm almost 20 years old and I've been stuck in this tower for my whole life!"

"Sean!" Erik frowned, gently pushing the boy into a corner. "We've talked about this! There are no lanterns, they're just stars and you can see them just fine from here. When you were just a baby, someone tried to kidnap you, to steal you from me!" Erik had told Sean this story so many times to scare him, to keep him obedient, never once letting it slip that it was him who had stolen Sean from his crib, taking the boy away for the healing powers his voice had. Erik had been sick for years, but with Sean around, he was safe, immortal, even.

"I know." Sean sighed. "But I'm almost 20, don't you think I can take care of myself?"

"Fine," Erik snapped. "If you think you can take such good care of yourself, take me. If you can beat me in a wrestling match, you can go to see the lanterns on your birthday."

"Yes!" Sean grinned, instantly beginning to push the furniture out of the way so that they could wrestle. They started off, and Sean was doing well at first, but within a few minutes, Erik had him pinned to the ground.

"You see?" Erik stood up, brushing his hands off. "You're not ready, you're not even close."

"Fuck." Sean sighed, pulling himself up off of the floor and running to his room. He curled up in his bed, pulling his knees to his chest. He was so sick of being stuck up here, sick of not seeing anyone but Erik and most of all, sick of knowing that his father had to be lying to him.

"Sean?" A few hours later, Erik knocked on the door once before letting it in. "Sean…look, I'm sorry." He sat down on the edge of the bed, gently stroking Sean's red hair. "I just want you to be safe, okay? I just want you to be okay, and I know that the real world is a cruel place, I don't want you to get hurt out there." Erik bit his lip. "I want you to have a good birthday, I just don't want to see anything bad happen to you."

"Fine." Sean turned away from his father. "Look…if…there is one thing you can do for me for my birthday. Remember when I was 14 and you brought me that amazing bread? I guess…I'd like to have that again."

"But Sean, that's 3 days there and back…"

"I'll be fine by my own for 3 days." Sean looked up at him. "Please?"

"Oh alright." Erik smiled. "But only because I can't bear to see you upset."

"Thank you." Sean faked a smile. Every time Erik spoke to him, Sean became less and less sure that the man had his best interests at heart.

"I'll go now so that I'm back shortly after your birthday." Erik kissed Sean on the forehead before getting up, but Sean didn't move, he just lay on the bed, waiting for Erik to be gone. Once he was sure his father was gone, he silently moved all of the furniture back into place. This was his life, and if he wasn't going to get out of it, he might as well deal with it. He pulled back the tapestry that covered the wall and began to paint. He wasn't very good, but this was how he passed the time. He closed his eyes, letting the brush go wherever it wanted to, not caring anymore – after all, it was hard to care about a life like this.

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><p><strong><em>AN I hope that you enjoyed this! More soon!  
><em>**


	2. Chapter 2

"And it's time to run!" Alex laughed to himself as he slung the satchel over his shoulder. He had just stolen the king's crown, and the payoff that he would receive, well it would be enough for him to live on forever, and maybe he would never have to do this again. He was so glad to be done with this life, this life of stealing every little thing that he needed. This time he was going to have the money that he needed to live his life.

"AFTER HIM!" He heard the head of the army guard shout and the sound of hooves chasing after him, but he didn't dare look behind. He jumped off of the roof and tumbled, picking himself up instantly, running away from castle, letting out a whoop as he entered the woods nearby. He was good at running, much better than he was at staying in any place for long, and he always felt better when he was running from something, especially the law.

As one of the guards grew closer, Alex picked up speed. He had had offers from several others at a bar downtown to help with this heist, and though help would probably have been more useful, he didn't like that kind of work. Alex lived off of being alone, he needed it, and running through the woods by himself, well this felt just like the life he'd always wanted – being by himself with more money than he knew what to do with.

Usually the people chasing him gave up by now, but for some reason, these guards were very, very persistent and he knew that he was faster than they were, but it still made him nervous. He ducked into a thicket, following a small, beat down path into a clearing. His eyes widened as he saw a tower in the middle of the clearing. Without hesitation, he started to climb up the tower from the rope ladder that Sean had forgotten to raise after Erik left. He jumped into the window and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Erik?" Sean stood up, heading from his room down to the main part of the tower. "Erik?" he called. Normally Erik let him know when he was returning, but the fact that he didn't, well, frankly it made Sean kind of nervous. "Erik?" he called again. He heard no reply, but he could still hear noises coming from the room. "Who's there?" he called, holding his breath as he picked up a wooden board, entering the living room. "Oh my god…"

"Hey, this isn't what it looks like!" Alex held his hands up.

"It looks like a stranger just broke into my living room," Sean hissed, brandishing the board at the man, trying to hide how terrified he was. It was clear that the intruder was stronger than he was – hell, his arms alone were a great deal more muscular than Sean's.

"Oh, well then it's exactly what it looks like, heh…" Alex backed up. "Look, I'm not here to hurt you, I'm just hiding from someone who's chasing me, that's all!"

"Right." Sean gulped, scared out of his mind by the intruder, and smacked Alex in the head with the board. The blond fell to the ground, unconscious, and Sean took a deep breath, wasting no time before dragging the boy over to a chair, tying him tightly to it, afraid that he could wake at any moment. These were the kind of men that Erik warned him against, the kind that would come and try to hurt him, maybe even take him away, and he wasn't about to let that happen. If nothing else, this would prove to Erik that he was capable of taking care of himself, that he didn't need to be stuck in one place for the rest of his life.

Once he had the intruder secured, he took the satchel and look inside of it, his eyes widening as he looked at the crown. It was jewels fit for a king, and thinking about it, it was pretty clear that it was the king's crown. Sean couldn't help himself and, grinning, he put the crown on his head. It flattened the top of his red hair, but the floppy lower parts of his hair didn't look as awkward as he would have expected.

"That's a good look for you." Sean spun around, removing the crown, his eyes wide. The boy he had tied up was awake, and Sean was so startled that he picked up the board, hitting him in the head, knocking him unconscious a second time. "Jesus, I have to stop doing that…" he gulped, shaking his head. Quickly, he took the crown, shoved it back into the satchel and hid it under one of the boards in the floor.

Sean sat down once he was done, leaning against the wall, wondering what the hell was going to do. He was sitting in a room with a criminal tied to a chair, the king's crown shoved under his floor, and absolutely no clue as to what was going to happen next. He didn't know how long it was going to be before Alex woke up, and he didn't know what he was going to do when the boy did wake up, all that he knew was that this was something different, and while that terrified him to no end, it also intrigued him. He had spent his whole life with absolutely no surprises bigger than what was for dinner and now here was a big one.

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><p><em><strong>AN Alright, that was the second part as well as an introduction to Alex and Alex and Sean's first meeting! I hope that you guys are enjoying this!  
><strong>_


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you going to hit me again?" Alex opened his eyes, looking directly at Sean, who hadn't moved.

"I don't know." Sean stood up, shrugging, still playing brave. "Why are you here?"

"Oh come on." Alex rolled his eyes. "Where's my crown?"

"Hey, I'm the one asking the questions!" Sean snapped.

"Whoa there." Alex laughed. "Let's be honest, you're a scrawny kid, you're not gonna hurt me, just give me back my satchel and I'll be on my way."

"What if I say no?" Sean challenged, trying to stop his hands from shaking.

"Then I'll ask again," Alex stated. "But less friendly." His voice grew low, and he glared at Sean. To be honest, Sean was terrified of this man, but right now, he was in control, and he had to make sure that he didn't lose that control and give in to his fear.

"Doesn't scare me," Sean lied.

"That's not true," Alex stated. "But let's say I give in and admit that you have the upper hand – what do I have to do to get you to give me my satchel back?"

"You stole it," Sean stated.

"So what?" Alex asked.

"So…" Sean bit his lip. What indeed? "So that's bad."

"I'm a bad guy. You're point?"Alex rolled his eyes again, starting to grow sick of this boy already.

"My point is that I'm not giving it back." Sean folded his arms across his chest, about to exit the room when an idea popped into his head. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Alex asked.

"Unless you promise to take me to see the lanterns at the castle."

"Oh now that's just crazy!" Alex shook his head. "No way."

"Well then I'm not giving you your bag back!" Sean looked resolute. Now that he had something he wanted, something to fight for, he was feeling a little stronger, more willing to fight this.

"What? Seriously?" Alex sighed. "Come on!"

"I'm serious." Sean nodded. "I want to see the lanterns. If you take me there and back, I'll give back your bag the second we return."

"Fine!" Alex sighed. "Just untie me and I'll take you."

"Oh, one more thing." Sean picked up the board. "I'm taking this with me."

"What, are you afraid I'll back off on our deal?" he tilted his head to the side.

"Yeah, I am." Sean nodded. "You've proven that you're not trustworthy, what with this whole stealing thing, and I'm not about to get tricked by the first person that falls into my tower."

"Fine, just untie me." Alex sighed deeply, sitting there while Sean undid the ropes. Sean grinned as they went to the window, Alex going first, Sean following.

"Oh. My. God." Sean gulped as his feet touched the ground. "Oh my god!" He clapped his hands, the wooden board tucked under his arm, then, a few seconds later. "Oh my god…oh my god…" he gulped. "My father is going to kill me…"

"How old are you?" Alex asked as he started to walk.

"20 tomorrow."

"And…you're afraid your father is going to be upset because you went outside by yourself?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Well…yeah." Sean nodded. "He doesn't like me to go outside."

"By yourself?"

"At all."

"Oh." Alex frowned. This was starting to sound fucked up. What had he gotten himself into? How crazy was this boy? Was he one of those cases you hear about? Locked up in a closet for his whole life only to go crazy and kill everyone? "Well maybe if he's going to be so mad, you should just go back!"

"Not a chance!" Sean grinned. "I'm free! The fresh air feels so good!"

"Wow." Alex reached up, raking his hand through his short hair. This was really fucked up – a boy of almost 20 never having been outside? He watched as Sean ran around, rolling the grass, climbing a tree, sprawled out on the ground, just enjoying the sunshine, noticing for the first time how freakishly pale the redhead truly was. There was something so odd about this boy, and yet, as he ran around, tearing about the wilderness, Alex couldn't help but have a slight, brief fondness for him.

The thought of being fond of another person, however, only upset Alex more. He was a loner, and he liked it that way. Letting someone else into his life was a great way to ensure that he got hurt, and he wasn't about to let that happen. He had to get this boy to see that he shouldn't be outside, and he knew just the place. Not far from here, there was a place, a bar he frequented where the biggest, meanest people he had ever seen hung out. If he took Sean there, well, there was no way Sean would want to stay in the real world.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" Alex asked as Sean scrambled down from a tree.

"Sean," he replied. "Yours?"

"Irrelevant."

"Nice name," Sean teased.

"Doesn't matter," Alex stated again. "Are you hungry?"

"Come to think of it, I am!" Sean nodded, picking up the board and tucking it back under his arm.

"Alright, well there's a place not too far from here, if you're, you know, interested."

"Lead the way!" Sean smiled, following Alex. Since he was walking behind him, he couldn't see the smirk on the other boy's face as he lead him towards a tavern with a sign The Snuggly Duckling right outside. It seemed harmless enough…until the door was opened.


	4. Chapter 4

The tavern was dark and loud, and it smelled of something so foul that Sean didn't even know what to call it. Scared, the boy instantly hid behind Alex, biting his lip nervously.

"Ah, here it is." Alex smiled. "The cleanest, nicest place in the outside world." He knew this wasn't true, but if he was going to scare the rabbit back into its hole, he needed to see the ruse, and this was the only way he could think of to do it.

"Hey…" One of the men at the bar, a large man, covered in blue fur, turned to his friend, a woman with red hair and blue skin, tilting his head to the side. "That's the guy from the wanted poster!" He pointed to the sign on the wall, frowning as he then gestured to Alex. "Alex Summers."

"So it is!" The red headed woman smiled, transforming into a gorgeous young blonde.

"Oh fuck…" Alex gulped as the blue-furred man advanced on him, grabbing him and holding him tight. "Yup, this is the guy! You, Darwin!" He pointed to his friend. "Go get the royal guards, they'll be offering a hefty reward for this one."

"Alrighty!" The man called Darwin darted out the door, and Sean gulped, fear filling him for the second time that day. He didn't want this cut short! If Alex was arrested, he had no idea how to get home, let alone get to the lanterns.

"HEY!" Sean shouted at the top of his lungs. He was shaking with fear, but he knew things would be worse if he didn't get Alex back. "LET HIM GO!"

"Oh yeah?" The woman walked towards him. "Why should we? He's a thief and he's worth a whole lot."

"Because…" Sean gulped. "Because…because…he's the only one who can give me my dream." He closed his eyes. "All I've ever wanted my whole life was to go to the castle and see the lanterns in person, and he promised to take me there." He opened his eyes again, looking at the woman, then at the furry blue man. "Haven't you ever had a dream?"

The two blue mutants looked at each other before Raven spoke. "I've always wanted people to like me for who I really am," she said slowly. "Not for who I make myself appear to be." She switched back into her natural form and Sean smiled. "Well for what it's worth, I think you're beautiful, and so does he." He gestured at Hank, who loosened his grip on Alex.

"What about you?" Sean asked Hank, his fear subsiding slightly.

"Me?" Hank shrugged. "I don't know."

"Come on," Sean smiled at him. "Out with it!"

"I guess…no, it's stupid." He shook his head.

"Come on!" Sean laughed.

"Oh alright." Hank looked up. "I've always wanted to learn how to play the accordion. I told you it was stupid!"

"It's not stupid." Sean shook his head. "If it's your dream, then it's not stupid."

"Hey, what about you?" Hank turned to Alex. "What's your dream."

"I don't have one." He shook his head.

"Hey!" Hank boomed. "Tell us your dream!"

"Really, I don't have one!"

"Come on!" Sean begged. "Everyone has a dream."

"Well I don't," Alex insisted.

"I don't believe you," Sean teased.

"Tell the boy your dream!" Hank shouted, gesturing to Sean. "NOW!"

"Oh fine." Alex gulped. "I want to get rich and by my own island and just be there all alone surrounded by more money than I'll ever know what to do with!"

"Well, it's a dream!" Sean shrugged. "Yours is money, mine is to see the lanterns, so please…" he looked at the crowd. "Don't turn him in."

"Oh alright." Raven smiled, going behind the bar. "But you'd best go out the secret passage, if you don't, when Darwin gets back with the guards, they'll arrest him…and I don't think they'll be as understanding as we are about the whole having a dream scenario."

"Thank you!" Sean beamed, hugging her before disappearing into the secret passage, Alex in tow.

"Okay, I'm not gonna lie," Alex stated as they began to walk. "I'm impressed, I was not expecting that from you, I thought that place was going to scare you right back into your father's arms and that this silly little game would be over."

"What?" Sean's face fell as he looked at Alex. "That…that was a trick?"

"Well…you didn't really think those were the most upstanding citizens around, did you?"

"At first, no." Sean blushed. "But they didn't seem so bad, they're just like you and I! They have dreams, everyone does…we just have to help each other make those dreams come true."

"You've read one too many fairytales, kid." Alex shook his head, looking away from the boy. "If you want something to happen, you have to make it happen yourself. No one's going to help you unless you blackmail them into it."

"What, the way that I'm blackmailing you?" Sean gulped. He was starting to feel quite hurt, and he didn't know what to do about it. He didn't want to show weakness, but he was far from the happy boy he had been just a few minutes earlier.

"Exactly." Alex nodded. "Do you really think I would even be near here if you weren't holding my crown hostage?"

"Well…no," Sean admitted. "But I'd hoped maybe you would be more okay with it, you know, as you got to know me."

"You thought we were going to become friends?" Alex laughed, shaking his head. "Not a chance in hell."

"Oh." Sean lowered his head, choking back the lump that was rising in his throat. He had thought that, for the first time in his life, he was starting to make a friend, but it turns out, he was just as alone as he had always been.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Alex asked after a couple of minutes.

"Hear what?" Sean asked, his voice dangerously quiet, as he was still close to tears.

"Hooves…fuck, run!" Alex grabbed Sean's hand instinctively, pulling the boy forwards as they both sprinted through the cave, running from the guards that had clearly found their way into the underground tunnel.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh my god…" Alex gulped as they reached the end of the tunnel. The passage had let out at a cliff, and there was a bridge, but several of the rungs were missing, and it was clear that trying to run across it would not be safe. Almost instantly after they tumbled from the tunnel, two of the king's guards followed – one was a man with red skin and a pointy tail, Azazel, the other a man with long brown hair, Riptide.

"Stop right there!" Azazel grabbed Sean, pointing the blade of his tail at Sean's throat.

"Hey, now that's not fair." Alex frowned as he looked at Sean. The boy looked terrified – after all, wasn't this exactly what Erik had warned him about? "He didn't do anything and I know your job description, you're not allowed to harm anyone innocent."

"Ah, but he's not innocent, is he?" Riptide smirked, moving forwards. "He helped you escape, making him almost as much of a part of this as you are."

"Oh fuck." Alex turned, and Sean gulped. He was sure that Alex was going to run and leave him, after all, they weren't friends, as Alex had just made very clear, and there was nothing to keep Alex there. However, Sean did not expect to see Alex grab the board that he had dropped and hurl it at Azazel's head, causing the demon-esque man to let go of Sean. "Run!" Alex hissed, grabbing Sean's hand once again as Azazel tried to compose himself enough to catch up.

"I got a better idea." Sean smiled, grabbing onto Alex's hand, jumping off of the cliff before screaming, his sound waves carrying them safely to the other side of the cliff, where they began to run again, not stopping, trying to find a place to hide from Azazel, who's power would make it easy for them to be caught…but only if they could be found. He couldn't teleport if he didn't know where he was teleporting to. Finally, the boys ended up in a cave, sitting down, panting from their workout.

"You…you can fly?" Alex looked at Sean, his eyes wide. "What the hell?"

"Yeah." Sean looked down. "I mean no one knows, not even my father, it's just been something I can work on, my voice, there have always been special things about it, things that Erik told me were unique to me, but being out here, it's clear that there are other people who are special." He looked down. "He lied to me so much…"

"Doesn't sound like a very good father," Alex pointed out.

"No, I mean he meant well, he was just doing it to protect me, and in return, I healed him every night before he went to bed."

"Healed him?" Alex frowned.

"Yeah…" he bit his lip. "Like I said, my voice…" he trailed off, looking down.

"You really are unique, aren't you?" Alex smiled as he looked at the boy.

"I guess so." He shrugged, looking away. He knew that he and Alex weren't friends, but there was still something he wanted to know. "Why didn't you run?" he asked. "I mean, I'm nothing to you, so why did you stay and try to get him to let me go?"

"I…I don't know," Alex replied truthfully. "I honestly don't. I would be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it, hell, I was very, very close to leaving you high and dry, but I don't know, it just seemed wrong, really, really wrong."

"Well thanks for, you know, not letting that happen…"

"You're welcome." Alex nodded.

"So…you're name's Alex?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"It's nice to meet you, Alex."

"It's…it's nice to meet you to." Alex turned away, biting his lip. This wasn't the kind of thing he did. He didn't make friends, he didn't talk to people, but there was just something about Sean – maybe it was his naivety, maybe it was the fact that he was just too innocent to realize how awful of a person that Alex was, but Sean was fascinating to him, and it wasn't just his power.

"So…" Sean bit his lip after they had been sitting in the cave for awhile. "Do you think it's safe to keep going?"

"Probably." Alex pulled himself to his feet. "It's starting to get dark," he mentioned as he stepped out of the cave. "We should find a place that we can crash for the night."

"Okay." Sean nodded. He was both terrified and excited about sleeping outside. He had never done it and he knew that there were dangers, but he was pretty sure that Alex wouldn't let anything happen to him. Maybe they weren't friends, but he got the feeling that they were getting closer, and he liked the way that felt. Alex was trying hard to keep him out, but Sean could tell that it wasn't working, at least a small part of him was getting through, and maybe it was that he could fly, maybe it was something else, but they were getting there.

"How's this?" Alex stopped at a clearing, tilting his head to the side.

"Works for me." Sean nodded.

"Okay, help me gather some wood for a fire?"

"Of course." Sean helped, and soon they had a decent fire pit. "How…how are you going to light it?" Sean asked, tilting his head to the side. He couldn't really see any way to, as Erik always used matches when they put a fire in the fireplace, and he doubted Alex had any of those on him.

"Can you keep a secret?" Alex asked.

"I'll keep yours if you keep mine, you know…my voice and whatnot."

"Deal." Alex closed his eyes, shooting a ring of hot plasma at the firewood, starting a nice, even fire.

"Whoa…" Sean's eyes widened as he saw what Alex had done.

"I guess we all have our secrets." He bit his lip as he sat down, leaning with his back against a log. "Some are bigger than others."

"I guess so." Sean sat down next to Alex. "I guess you and I have more in common than we thought."

"Yeah." Alex nodded, tilting his head to the side as though he were thinking about it for the first time. "I guess we do."


	6. Chapter 6

"So…" after the two boys had eaten dinner, they sat there, staring at the dying fire. Neither had said very much, mostly because neither had much to say, but now Alex had a question for Sean, and he wasn't about to let it go to waste. "Why do you want to go see the lanterns so badly?" he tilted his head to the side, trying to avoid looking at the redhead too long.

"Oh." Sean blushed, his pale skin flushing easily. "I've always watched them from my window in the tower and it's just…they've always fascinated me. I've always wondered why they float thousands of lanterns into the sky one night a year."

"I actually know the answer to that." Alex smiled. "The king and queen set off the lanterns every year in memory of the lost prince – the son of the king and queen was kidnapped when he was just a small boy and though they looked for him everywhere, he was never found."

"Oh, that's…that's really sad." Sean looked down, biting his lip. "Someone tried to take me when I was younger, but my father protected me." He sighed. He still felt bad about leaving his father behind, but there was something more that felt strange to him now, something that made him unsure that his life was true. "Why do they set them off on the day that they do? I'm just asking because I've always thought it was cool that it was, you know, my birthday." He laughed. "When I was younger, I used to think they were just for me."

"Huh…" Alex bit his lip. He had forgotten that Sean's birthday was tomorrow, and the more the boy said, the more things were starting to add up for him. Sean wasn't allowed to leave his tower, the lanterns were set off on his birthday, his father told him that someone had tried to kidnap him when he was younger, he had the same flaming red hair that the young prince had had, and, well, he had looked amazing in the crown, like it was meant to be placed on his head.

"What?" Sean looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Nothing." Alex shook his head. "I was just thinking about some stuff."

"Okay." Sean shrugged, too naïve to realize that Alex wasn't telling the truth. "So, tell me about yourself. Why do you steal things?"

"I don't know." Alex shrugged. "It's complicated I guess."

"Well we have time." Sean looked at Alex earnestly, hoping to get some glimpse into this boy's life. There seemed to be something there, and it was something that Sean wanted to see. He liked Alex, at least parts of him, and he could tell that there were parts of Alex that he wasn't letting anyone see, Sean included, and Sean really, really wanted to see those parts.

"Okay." Alex sighed, giving in. He had never told anyone about his life, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to, but harm would telling Sean do? This boy had secrets to, and if they promised to keep each others, it would be alright, wouldn't it? "I guess…I don't know, I never really had anything. I've been an orphan my whole life, and I used to dream of having clothes, food, never being hungry or uncomfortable. When I was 18, I tried to get a job, tried to find a way to give myself that life, but I never could so…" he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders. "Stealing just seemed easier, and after awhile, I realized that I was good at it, you know? Too good at it to stop, so I kept going and here we are."

"But why alone?" Sean asked. "Why don't you work with other people?"

"I don't like getting close to people," Alex admitted. "You saw what I can do, if I lose control, it would be only too easy for me to kill someone, and I don't want to do that."

"So you keep yourself away from the world so that you don't have to deal with anyone else getting close to you because…because you're afraid that you'll hurt them?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Alex nodded.

"Doesn't that get lonely?" Sean frowned. "I mean…I live with one other person and I'm always going crazy to meet other people."

"I don't know," Alex admitted. "I block that out, I don't think about it. If I tell myself that being alone is better, I can make myself believe it."

"That can't be healthy," Sean mused.

"Maybe not, but it's healthier than being locked inside all of time." He stood up. "I'm going to get some more firewood, okay? Don't wander off." Alex smiled gently at Sean. He was definitely starting to care for the boy, it was strange, but true.

"I won't." Sean smiled back, leaning against the log and closing his eyes. Despite Alex's protests, it was clear that he had made his very first friend.

"Sean?" Sean's eyes snapped open as he heard a familiar voice.

"D-dad?" Sean gulped, his eyes wide as he saw Erik. "What are you doing here?"

"I think a better question might be what are YOU doing here?" he growled. "What did I tell you about the real world? It's not a safe place!"

"I wanted to see the lanterns!" he gulped. "I was going to go and come right back! What are you doing following me?"

"I went back to the house to get something I'd forgotten, do you know how terrified I was when I saw that you weren't there? I thought someone had kidnapped you and to think I was right"!

"I wasn't kidnapped!" Sean snapped. "I asked him to take me, and you know what? Alex is a good person! He's not here to hurt me, he's taking good care of me, he saved from a bad guy and you know what? He cares about me!"

"Really?" Erik laughed coldly. "Is that really what you think?" he held up the satchel that Sean had hidden. "Do you really think he'd stick around if you gave this to him now?"

"Where did you find that?" Sean frowned.

"I know all of your hiding places, Sean." He shook his head. "I'm so disappointed…just do it, Sean, test him, and you'll see." He tossed the satchel to Sean before turning and leaving the boy. Sean hid the bag and lay back against the log, trying not to think about what Erik had said, but a part of him was nagging at the thought, worried that Erik was right, that the second Sean got the bag, he wouldn't think twice about running off and never looking back.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Sorry that this took so long! Work has been nuts!_**

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><p>The boys drifted off to sleep outside, and the next morning, when they woke up, they ate a quick breakfast before setting off on their journey. They weren't too far from the kingdom, and Sean grew more and more excited with ever moment. He couldn't wait to see all of the people, the celebrations, the floating lanterns, and even with his fear that Alex would leave him, he was trying to ignore everything that Erik had told him the previous night in the woods.<p>

"Are we close?" Sean asked.

"We're 10 minutes closer than we were when you asked 10 minutes ago," Alex stated, laughing at the boy's excitement.

"And how close is that?"

"About…" Alex smiled. "Now." Alex threw open the gates to the city and Sean's eyes widened. There was music, and dancing, and everyone looked so happy.

"Oh my god…" Sean put his hand to his mouth, grinning in delight as he instantly jumped into the center of the crowd, looking at everyone and everything, trying to take in the whole scene. He laughed, clapping his hands as he walked up to a man. "What's the celebration all about?"

"It's for the lost prince – every year we celebrate the hope that he's still alive."

"Oh." Sean nodded. "Okay."

"You new around here?" The man asked.

"Yeah, I'm just passing through."

"Well me sure to enjoy yourself."

"I will!" Sean stepped away, running back to Alex. "This is so amazing! There are people everywhere, and they all look so happy! I am NEVER going back to my father! He said that everyone would try to hurt me, that no one was good for me, that no one would be good to me, but…you, these people, everyone's being so kind."

"Maybe it's you," Alex stated, handing over some food that he had bought. "Maybe you're nice to people, so they're nice to you. You're not like everyone else, Sean. You're strange, you're cheerful, people like that."

"Do you like it?" Sean tilted his head to the side.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Alex sighed, finishing off his food.

"Oh, come on!" Sean's face split into a grin as a band started playing a lively tune. "Come dance!"

"No." Alex shook his head. "I don't dance, that's not my thing."

"Please?" Sean tilted his head to the side. "This is the best day of my life, the only day I've ever gotten to be outside, pleeease?" He pouted, and Alex rolled his eyes. He was finding it more and more difficult to resist the boy, and as Sean bounced into the center of the crowd, dancing around, Alex couldn't help but feel a pull to join him. He didn't know what it was yet, but this boy was really starting to get to him, and Alex wasn't sure he liked that. He had never been captivated like this by another person, he had always succeeded at pushing people away and now, here was this boy, dancing in the middle of a crowd, hair flopping around everywhere, grinning like there was no tomorrow, and Alex couldn't deny that he was touched.

"Oh alright." Alex sighed, doing his best to keep up with his lively companion. He really didn't know how to dance, but that didn't seem to bother Sean, nor anyone else, and what surprised him more than anything was that he managed to find himself actually having a good time leaping about amongst the throngs of people surrounding them.

"This is so much fun!" Sean laughed as he danced past Alex, smiling at every person he saw. He danced with an elderly woman, he danced with a little girl, letting her stand on his feet, he danced with a young man, a few young women and finally, he found himself tripping into Alex's arms.

"May I have this dance?" Alex found himself asking.

"Yes!" Sean nodded, taking Alex's hands and leaping into the center of the crowd, pulling the blond with him. Alex couldn't understand why he was having fun, but he was, and he was sure that, if nothing else, it was because Sean's exuberance was carrying over into himself.

The boys danced for almost an hour before the sun began to go down. A call was made, and people made their way to the waterfront to see the lanterns. Sean was ready to follow them when Alex took his hand, leading him in a different direction.

"Here." Alex smiled, helping Sean into a boat. "If this is the best day of your life, well, you might as well have the best view."

"Thank you!" Sean grinned, hugging Alex before getting into the boat, being careful not to fall in. He was excited to see the lanterns, but he couldn't help feeling that maybe, just maybe, the best part of his journey had already happened. He couldn't imagine that, even thousands of flying lanterns could compare to making a friend, especially not a friend like Alex.


	8. Chapter 8

"This is…this is so beautiful!" Sean gulped as he sat in the boat, staring up at the lanterns flying above them. "This is so…so incredible." He was in awe of the sight. Sure, every year he had imagined how beautiful it must be to see these lanterns in person, but he had never suspected that it would really, truly be this magnificent.

"It really is, isn't it," Alex mused, surprised by how gorgeous he really did find the site. Then again, he wasn't sure how much of the beauty was from the lanterns and how much was from the redhead grinning up at the sky right in front of him.

"Thank you so much for bringing me here…" Sean turned to face the blond, smiling softly at him. "I'm sorry that I blackmailed you…" he reached down, handing over the satchel. "I should have given this to you a long time ago, I was just scared."

"Scared of what?" Alex asked softly, taking the bag and looking inside of it.

"Scared that if I gave it back, you'd leave me."

"Oh." Alex sighed. He hated how accurate that statement would have been just one day ago, but now…now this boy had shown him things he didn't think were possible. Joy, teamwork, passion, a good time and most of all, caring. "I um, well, I have something for you, you know, since it's your birthday." He bit his lip, reaching behind him and producing two lanterns, handing one to Sean.

"Oh wow!" Sean's eyes grew wide again as he gently took the lantern, smiling as he lifted it, watching it float into the sky. "God, that's just…so gorgeous."

"Yeah." Alex gulped, staring right at Sean. "It is, it really is." Alex bit his lip like he was seeing Sean for the first time. Sean wasn't paying attention, he was too busy staring at the lanterns, but Alex couldn't imagine ever seeing a world without him. He had met Sean, and his entire life had changed. He had become happy, he had met someone that he felt he could really talk to. He had thought that he had to be alone for his entire life, but now…now he wasn't so sure.

Without thinking, Alex reached out, taking Sean's hand, smiling when the boy turned to look at him. Sean smiled back, a small, innocent smile, and Alex sure that this was right. He was supposed to be here, with this boy, and maybe there was even more to it than that. This had to be fate – he had stolen the crown, and now he was pretty sure that he was sitting in a boat with its rightful owner.

"Alex?" Sean bit his lip.

"Yeah?"

"Are you gonna leave me?" The redhead looked down, biting his lip. "I mean now that you have the crown, now that our bargain is over, are you going to run off and make me go back home?"

"No." Alex shook his head, reaching into the bag. He pulled out the crown, looking at it. "Sean, there's something I need to tell you…" Alex's heart began to race. How do you tell someone that you're pretty sure they're a prince, let alone how do break the news that you're pretty sure the person they think is their father was their kidnapper. How do you tell someone that you're convinced they've been held hostage for the past 19 years for their powers?

"What is it?" Sean asked, eagerly awaiting the reply.

"It's…nothing." Alex put the crown back into the bag, shaking his head. "Just…you look, I don't know." He looked down, smiling. "You look really beautiful right now."

"Oh." Sean blushed. He had never had anyone call him that in his life, and for a split second, he was scared. What was he supposed to do next? He had read many fairy tales, but how close were those to real life? To him, of course, today was like a fairytale, and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. "You…you do too."

"I don't really know what to say," Alex admitted. "But I like you Sean, I really do, and today and yesterday, well you just opened my eyes to so many things I never would have considered, and the idea of this being it for us, it kind of scares me, but the idea of, you know, caring about someone, that scares me even more."

"Why?" Sean asked. "There's nothing wrong with caring about someone, in fact, I think it's a good thing. Being on your own, well you can get into trouble and if there's no one there to get you out, what's the point of living, really?" he tilted his head to the side.

"I wish I knew." Alex sighed, leaning in closer to Sean. "But I do know that I don't want that life anymore."

"You don't?" Sean smiled, sitting still as Alex moved still closer.

"I don't." he shook his head, reaching his hand up and gently touching Sean's cheek. He leaned in, kissing the boy softly, smiling as he pulled back. "Come on, we should return the boat before it gets too late."

"Okay." Sean grinned the whole way back to shore. This was the kind of life that he had always wanted, someone to care about him, someone to kiss him. He had known that Alex cared about him, and he was glad that Alex was willing to admit it. When they pulled up to shore, Alex helped Sean out of the boat.

"I'm gonna go settle with the man I rented this from, you wait right here, okay?" He smiled, leaning in and kissing Sean gently.

"Okay." Sean blushed again, knowing that he would not move from that very spot.

"We meet again." Sean gulped, turning around to see Azazel and Riptide standing behind him. "The boy with the magic voice – did you really think you and your little boyfriend could run forever?"

"What…what are you doing?" Sean gulped, trying to back away, shocked to find that he bumped smack into someone else.

"Now Sean, don't try to run." Erik snaked one arm around Sean's torso, clamping the other over the boy's mouth. "Be a good boy, Sean, and don't try to run."


	9. Chapter 9

"Sean?" Alex jogged back to the place where he had left Sean, a smile on his face. "Sean, come on, I found a place we can get a late dinner.

"Well hello, Mr. Summers." Azazel grinned as he and Riptide blocked Alex in, each grabbing one of his arms, forcing him to stand so that he was facing Sean. Sean's wrists were bound tightly behind his back and a thick cloth was tied over his mouth, preventing him from screaming.

"Sean!" Alex's eyes widened and he instantly began to struggle against Azazel and Riptide. "Let him go! Do you know who he is?"

"Yes." Erik held tightly to a struggling Sean. "He's my son, and we're going home now." He began to pull Sean backwards, but Sean fought every step of the way.

"MMMPH! MMM!" Sean screamed against the gag, trying to pull free of Erik. If he wasn't sure before, he was convinced now that his "father" was not a good person.

"Let him go!" Alex shouted. "Do you know who he fucking is? He's the fucking lost prince!" Alex tried to pull himself free, but Azazel clapped heavy shackles over his wrists, locking them tight.

"Stop telling lies!" Riptide growled, pulling Alex away from Sean.

"I'm not!" Alex pulled against the chains. "Just listen to me! He was kidnapped by that man when he was young, he's been forced to stay in a tower, today is his birthday, just like the lost prince! Look at him, he looks just like the pictures!"

"That's preposterous." Erik laughed. "This is my son, he's no prince."

"MMM!" Sean glared up at Erik. He was scared that what Alex was saying was true – was he actually a prince? Now that he thought about it, it did make sense, especially now that Erik was trying to kidnap him – perhaps he had done this once before.

"He's the prince!" Alex refused to let this go, sure, he didn't want to get hurt, but more than anything, he didn't want anything to happen to Sean, and he was terrified of what would happen to the boy if Erik managed to get him away. "Just listen to me! All signs point to yes!"

"I don't know…" Azazel bit his lip. Alex DID have a point, it did sort of make sense when he thought about it, but then again, Alex was a criminal, and he had stolen the crown.

"Please!" Alex begged, tears stinging at his eyes as he noticed the fear in Sean's. "Just take him to the king and queen! If they don't see it, then you can hang me, but don't let him go with that man! That man kidnapped the prince as a child!"

"Shut up!" Erik hissed at Alex.

"No!" Alex shook his head. "I won't shut up until you admit it!" Alex grew so angry that he couldn't help himself, and a shot of plasma headed right for Erik. The shot missed, but it was enough for Erik to lose his hold on Sean. Sean tumbled to the ground, shaking himself free of the gag. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs, debilitating everyone around him until he was able to get to his feet and rush over to Alex.

"I'm not going with him," Sean stated, panicked as he tried to untie his own wrists.

"You don't have to." Riptide took Sean, beginning to untie him. "We don't know if Alex is telling the truth, but the pieces do fit, and if you are the lost prince, we don't want to be responsible for you being taken a second time."

"Thank you." He gulped, watching as Erik was taken into custody. "What about Alex?"

"He'll go into the prison until you are either proven or disproven to be the prince," Riptide explained. "If you are the prince, what happens to him will be your choice, if not, he will hang for his crimes."

"No!" Sean shook his head.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be too worried," Riptide whispered. "The more I think about it, the more convinced I become. Come on." He put his hand on Sean's shoulders, leading him towards the castle as Azazel led Alex and Erik towards the prison.

"I don't want anything to happen to him," Sean whispered, rubbing his wrists.

"I don't think that anything will," Riptide said again, throwing open the doors to the palace. "Your highness?"

"Yes, Riptide?"

"I have someone here who wants to meet you." He bowed low, and Sean did the same, falling to his knees.

"Who is this?" King Charles walked over to the boy, his eyes widening instantly. "Moira!" he called for his wife, instantly pulling the boy to his feet, checking him over before pulling him into a tight embrace. "Moira, he's back!"

"What?" Moira ran into the room, freezing the second she saw Sean. There was no doubt in her mind, nor was there in Charles, that Sean was their son. "Oh my god, my son…"

"Hi." Sean gulped as he was finally released from the king's embrace. "Um…so…"

"So you're our son." Charles but his arm around his wife. "Welcome home, Sean."

"How did you know my name?" Sean tilted his head to the side.

"Well I would hope we know it," Charles laughed. "We did give it to you."

"Oh." Sean blushed. "Um, speaking of which…" he handed out the bag with the crown in it. "A friend of mine sort of borrowed this."

"Borrowed or stole?" Charles asked.

"Well, stole, but he wanted to give it back, his views changed."

"This is your crown now." Charles moved forwards, placing the crown on Sean's head. "And I must say, it's a perfect fit."

"Right, thanks." Sean gulped, still trying to get used to the fact that he had just learned he was royalty. "Um, I did have one favor I kind of wanted to ask you…my friend, he's currently in the royal prison, but he brought me here, brought me back to you…he saved my life, and I would very much like for him to be released."

"What's his name?" Charles asked.

"Alex Summers."

"Riptide, go and release Alex Summers and have him sent up here, I plan to reward him for returning my son to me."

"Yes, your highness." Riptide bowed, exiting, leaving Sean with his parents.

"Wow…" Sean grinned. "I…I have a family."

"A family who has loved and missed you very much." Moira pulled Sean into a gentle hug. "Welcome home, Sean. Welcome home."

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><p><strong><em>AN one more chapter to go! I hope someone enjoys this! :)  
><em>**


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N I AM SO SORRY! I thought I updated this MONTHS ago! My apologies! 3_**

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><p>"Sean!" Alex rushed into the room, pulling Sean into a hug. "Oh my god, are you alright?"<p>

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sean gulped. "You…you were right, Alex. I'm the lost prince…"

"I knew it!" Alex picked Sean up, spinning him around. "Everything you told me about your life just made you more and more sure, that's…that's what I wanted to tell you on the boat, but I had no idea how to tell you that everything you knew was a lie." Alex bowed his head. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner."

"It's fine, it's okay." Sean smiled. "It's over, okay? We're both safe now."

"Erik will never hurt you again."

"Erik?" Charles looked up. "Erik Lensherr?"

"Yes." Sean nodded. "The man who told me he was my father."

"Oh for the love of god." Charles shook his head. "That man...he was always so jealous of me, being the first born, he was never in line for the crown, not while I was around."

"What do you mean?" Sean asked.

"The man who pretended to be your father, he is related to you, he's just…your uncle."

"Oh." Sean gulped. He didn't like that – he would have preferred the man be a stranger, after all, who wanted to know that their uncle had kidnapped them and kept them locked away?

"It's alright, Sean." Charles put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're home now, you're safe here, we'll take very, very good care of you."

"Thank you." Sean pulled away from Alex hugging his father gently. "And Alex? He has no home." He bit his lip.

"Then he shall stay with us." Charles smiled. "Assuming that's what he wants, of course."

"I would be honored, but sir, I did try to steal the crown…" Alex bowed down to the king, suddenly feeling very awkward in his presence. He had feelings for Sean, but he had stolen the king's crown, and that was a severe crime.

"You did not try," Charles stated. "You succeeded, but you returned it, and along with it, the most precious gift we ever could have asked for, our son, the prince and future king of our kingdom, and because of that, we welcome you with open arms."

"Thank you, sir." Alex bowed again.

"Rise, Alexander." Charles smiled. "I'll leave you and Sean for a moment while his mother and I go prepare a room for you."

"Thank you," Sean barely managed to reply as they left. "Wow…" he sat down, taking off the crown and raking his hands through his hair. "Just…wow…"

"Yeah." Alex smiled. "You're…you're a prince."

"I know." Sean bit his lip. "I had no idea, I mean, I never would have imagined that."

"I don't know." Alex shrugged. "You have all of the qualities a good prince should have."

"I do?" Sean tilted his head o the side, unsure of what that meant.

"Yes." Alex nodded. "You're kind, you're joyous, you smile at everyone, you like people, you're courageous, you're smart, you're strong…" he reached out, pushing some of Sean's floppy red hair from his eyes. "Beautiful."

"Thank you." Sean blushed, his whole face turning as red as a tomato.

"So…I had a question for you." Alex bit his lip. "Now that you're, you know, royalty, do you still, I mean, do you still want me around?"

"Yes." He nodded, his eyes wide. "Alex, of course I want you around!" He leaned in, stealing a kiss from the boy. "You saved my life, you brought me into a real world, and you…you found me a family." Sean reached out, taking Alex's hand. "If there's anyone in the world I want, it's good."

"Good." Alex smiled, pulling Sean close. "I want you too."

And they lived happily ever after.


End file.
